Merck Serono: a new specialized line, a new image and a new future

The discovery of the human genome and the posterior progress in the genetics field has shifted the way the human being faces the treatment of some diseases. After this milestone, that changed the navigation path of the medical sciences, new studies possibilities have been opened and with the possibility of improving the quality of life of mankind. Bearing this in mind and with the objective of being confirmed as a unavoidable benchmark in the pharmaceutical industry, Merck acquired at the beginning of 2007 the Swiss biotechnology company Serono, and gave birth to the Merck Serono trademark, which groups the areas of Biotechnology, Oncology and Ethicals.

This major step was made due to the necessity of having a bigger impact on people’s health and answering old scientific mysteries from a new perspective.  These objectives are being reached, as it is shown by the creation of medical alternatives for treatments against infertility, metabolic disorders and diseases such as multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and cancer.

This structural transformation allows wider impact ratio in the innovation field and represents a portfolio diversification in the prescription products, then besides the traditional Oncology, Cardiology and Metabolic lines, it has created room for a new line that works in favor of the reproductive health, metabolism and dermatology and fights against multiple sclerosis.

 In addition, this new acquisition will allow Merck to expand its incursion in the biotechnology field, an area that for many constitutes the future of the world medical research.

Currently, the scientific method has a new arsenal of tools and concepts that have brought new light on different diseases, and signify great progress in the medical area.  Since the biotechnology is one of the cornerstones in these developments, Merck has headed toward this trend; in order to get there it has created a unit dedicated exclusively to this field of knowledge, as another way to ratify it priority: the commitment to the patient, their families and the environment.

The products of this unit are last-generation medicaments, made from live microorganisms, from which substances identical to human proteins are obtained. These are used as pharmacological agents and require a demanding and highly complex manufacturing process, which makes the exact reproduction of the medicaments impossible and, in consequence, the manufacturing of the generic version of them.

 On one hand, this unit has made possible that the couples with infertility problems fulfill their dream of having children, with help of innovative therapies that allow the conception and the creation of families that wish to leave their mark in the world.

On the other hand, it has developed treatments that allow people with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative illness of the central nervous system, to have times of remission and stop the progress of the illness when it is diagnosed in early stages.

Another line of work is the one of growth and metabolism, whose products mitigate the deficiency of the growth hormone and allow the patient to overcome the physical, psychological and physiological limitation that come with the condition; in addition in the dermatology line great progress has been made in the psoriasis field, a disease that attack the immune system.